Yes. Jack Stillman was founded by Jarrod Stillman in Perth, WA, in 2014. Since then, two of his children, Jake and Tia, joined him in the business and have contributed greatly to its current success. We design our products in-house but don't manufacture in Australia (just like 95% of the fashion industry). We pay taxes in Australia (and now the UK), employ staff here (and now in the UK), and support local suppliers and distributors. We’ve seen our Aussie-designed products used worldwide and reckon that's something for all Australians to be proud of.

The leather on your Jack Stillman product is 100% real cow leather. We use a semi-vegetable tanning process which combines traditional tanning methods with some modern processes. It is then drum-dyed to our custom colour. The back of the leather is left raw and in some cases it is shaved to remove the "fuzzy" skin particles.

The result is a hard-wearing, long-lasting leather that will continue to soften and patina over the use of the product.

If you've ordered a new bag made of our 16oz heavy beeswaxed twill, it's going to be stiff for the first few weeks. Usage will loosen the fabric more and more over time. It's stiff because we use real beeswax to treat our twill, not paraffin wax. The beeswax has many advantages, including making the fabric water repellent and bonding the individual fibres together. We recommend you keep your product well waxed over its lifetime using Jack Stillman's Fabric Wax.

Our 16oz Heavy Beeswaxed Twill will, when the bag is brand new, show up creases and scratches. This is the beeswax reacting on the outer surface, not scratches on the fabric itself. We hope that you embrace these marks, which add to the emerging, authentic patina your product is going to develop over time. However, if you really must, hit it with a HOT hairdryer and watch those marks disappear. Note: if the bag is marked from a stain or deep scratch because it came into contact with something in your environment, the hairdryer won't fix that.

We use YKK Woven in Tough Zippers for all of our bags. They are built for suitcases, so they are bloody tough.

A splitting zip generally only occurs for one reason: an overpacked bag. A well-installed, good-quality zip will last for decades if it's treated well. But if the bag is packed so full that you rely on the zip slider to pull the sides together and then the zip itself to hold together under pressure, you're literally stretching the relationship. Be kind to your stuff.

To fix:
1. Pull the zip slider back to the fully open position.
2. Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to compress the channels that the zipper teeth feed into. It's these channels that get distorted when excessive pressure is placed on the zipper.
3. When done properly, this will tighten the zip slider, and when you pull the zip to close the back, the teeth will mesh again. Over time, this fix can become less effective once the metal zip slider becomes mangled. In that case, you will need to replace the zip slider.

Waxing canvas is a natural way or protecting the fabric and whoever is under it. The wax finish causes water to bead off instead of soaking into the fibres. The advantage is that this method of proofing the fabric also allows it to breathe, unlike the plastic treatment options found in waterproof fabrics. Want to know more?

Waxing fabric is a natural way or protecting the fabric and whoever is under it. The wax finish causes water to bead off instead of soaking into the fibres. The advantage is that this method of proofing the fabric also allows it to breathe, unlike the plastic treatment options found in waterproof fabrics.

The main difference between Twill and Canvas is how the yarns are woven.

Canvas uses a plain weave — essentially over one, under one. This creates a simple, tight, stable structure. It tends to feel stiffer, more structured and more resistant to stretching or distortion. That makes it excellent for bags, tents, workwear and other products where you want the fabric to hold its shape.

Twill uses an offset weave — the yarn passes over and under in a repeating pattern that produces the characteristic diagonal lines you can see on the surface. Denim is probably the best-known example. Twill tends to be softer, more flexible and better at draping than equivalent-weight canvas. It also has a slightly richer, more textured appearance.

We highly recommend it. Waxed fabric is water repellent and more resilient. We advise waxing your bag at least once a year, as the wax can break down over time, making it less effective at protecting your investment. If you use your product heavily, wax it more often.

Waxing also has the benefit of adding layers of patina to the product for that authentic aged look.

Use Jack Stillman Fabric Wax, which is rich in natural beeswax.

The three snap buttons per side on the Pacific Poncho are deliberately placed so that the middle button faces the opposite direction to the top and bottom ones. Why? Firstly, those buttons are there so that you can close the sides of the poncho in extreme weather. They are opposing because this creates tension between the three buttons, making it harder for wind to force open the gaps and enter the inner sanctum of your poncho.

Yes. Our products are covered with our lifetime guarantee. That means we are super confident that our manufacturing process is so tight you won't see a popped seam or a shonky zipper anytime soon. We aren't saying the product is indestructible, but it certainly is built to last.